The human gut microbiome is unique to each individual and can include more than a thousand different species. Disruptions to the homeostatic of the gut microbiome can play a role in inflammatory bowel diseases. Prior art treatments aimed at reshaping the microbial contents have used prebiotics, probiotics, and antibiotics and have generally failed to produce stable, long-term improvements in bacterial diversity. Fecal transplantation of gut microbiota from a healthy donor to an ill recipient in order to reconstitute the normal flora of a patient such as a C. difficile infected recipient is a more recent alternative.
Fecal microbiota transplants involves taking liquefied donor feces and transferring it to the patient such as during a colonoscopy. The patient receives a transplanted population of commensalistic bacteria that can combat the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. The donor is first tested for communicable infectious diseases. The donor then gives a stool sample which is mixed with a small amount of dilutant, such as sterile water or saline solution, which is blended by shaking the mixed material and then straining the blended material to separate some of the particulate material. A provider can then draw some of the liquid into a syringe for administering into the intestinal tract of a patient which can be accomplished with an endoscope, colonoscopy or enema.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0122534, to Matsumura et al. shows a container for suspension and filtration of stool material which enables a simple collection of cancer cells to be separated from the stool. The Aslam U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,279, is for a device for collecting and processing stool specimens. A specimen is collected with a bed pan or the like, which specimen is then put in a mixing bowl with a blender to blend the sample to obtain a sample for analysis. The Wild U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,431 is for a method of stool sample collection and testing for the presence of abnormalities such as occult, or hidden blood. A stool specimen is deposited in the device and onto a test medium and then allowed to pass down into the toilet.
The present invention is for an improved apparatus and method of processing fecal matter for a fecal transplant using a collection container which operatively connects to a second container to form an operative vessel for processing the specimen for a fecal transplant. A fecal microbiome transplant material preparation method and apparatus prepares fecal material for a fecal transplant. A healthy patient's stool is collected in a first container which has its open end attached to a second container's filter covered open end to form a fecal processing device. Liquid is injected into the second container through a syringe port having a valve therein to block the escape of liquid from the connected containers. Air intake and exhaust ports allow air displacement during injection and extraction of liquids from a closed system. The liquid and fecal matter in the connected containers is blended and the blended liquid is strained/filtered and removed through the syringe port for use in the fecal transplant.